COD Chamber Orchestra Presents 'Forgotten Gems' March 12 at the MAC

The College of DuPage Chamber Orchestra will at 5 p.m. Monday, March 12, in the Lobby of the McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd. in Glen Ellyn. The concert will feature second-place concerto contest winner Sophie Lekas.

The chamber orchestra performs under Music Director and Conductor Dan Pasquale D'Andrea of Downers Grove.

The free concert features Vorisek's “Symphony in D major,” Mozart's “Overture to Les Petits Reins,” and Haydn's “Violin Concerto in G major.”

“Vorisek is one of those classical composers who had great potential, but left this earth much too soon at age 34,” D'Andrea said. “His symphony is one of his last works and demonstrates his fine compositional ability, following in the tradition of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.”

Mozart, meanwhile, while not a forgotten composer, has some overlooked works, such as his “Overture to Les Petits Reins,” D'Andrea said. Haydn is another such composer, and the violin concerto included in the program does not receive D'Andrea is music director of several ensembles, including the Senior Suburban Orchestra, COD's Chamber Orchestra, Combined Church Choir of Itasca, Wind Harmonies Wind Ensemble, and Sinfonietta Bel Canto. He has music degrees from DePaul University, the New England Conservatory and Northern Illinois University and is a skilled harpsichordist and bassoonist. D'Andrea served as director of the Salt Creek Sinfonietta for 14 years and currently is principal bassoon with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.

For more information, call the MAC Ticket Office at (630) 942-4000, or visit: www.atthemac.org.